Side-by-side vehicles (SSVs) are off-road vehicles that are often used for transporting passengers and a large variety of different items, from sporting equipment to construction materials, in various terrains and conditions.
Some SSVs include a windshield for protecting the passengers from wind, rain, snow, sand, dirt and debris when operating the SSV. In order to clean the windshield, a windshield wiper assembly can be useful to remove liquids and solids soiling the windshield. Known windshield wiper assemblies generally comprise a wiper motor, a wiper arm connected to the wiper motor and a wiper blade connected to the wiper arm and in contact with a surface of the windshield. The wiper motor can pivot the wiper arm back and forth between a stowed position and a pivoted position, opposite to the stowed position, until a preprogrammed amount of time is spent or until the user turns off the wipers. At that time, the wiper arm returns to the stowed position. Known wiper assemblies sometimes further comprise an assembly for spraying a fluid, such as a washer fluid, onto the windshield to help remove debris and to further clean the windshield. When the fluid is sprayed onto the windshield, the wiper motor is activated so that the wiper blade wipes away the liquid and debris on the windshield.
Wiper assemblies typically pivot from either a top portion or a bottom portion of the windshield. When the wiper assembly pivots from the bottom portion of the windshield, liquids and debris that remain on the wiper blade do not drain across the windshield.
In contrast, when the wiper assembly pivots from the upper portion of the windshield, in the event that a fluid is sprayed onto the windshield such that both sides of the wiper blade make contact with the fluid when the wiper assembly is turned on, the wiper blade can leave a line of liquids and debris on the windshield at the stowed position and at the pivoted position. When the wiper assembly is turned off, the line of liquids and debris formed at the stowed position and located above the wiper blade can drain along the wiper blade until an outer end thereof and then along an outer edge of the windshield, thus minimizing the obstruction of the view of the passengers. However, when the wiper assembly is turned off, the line of liquids and debris formed at the pivoted position drains down across the passenger side of the windshield and obstructs the view of the passenger.
As such, it may be desirable to have a windshield wiper assembly that pivots from an upper portion of a windshield that is configured for minimizing such issues related to the wiping and cleaning of a windshield.